Why Antonio Margarito Will Defeat Manny Pacquiao

I am sure it worked, especially for the folks that I refer to as "Pac-Men"—Pacquiao's legion of die-hard fans.

I have been on a few boxing forums and have seen how some of them have verbally attacked anyone who has even hinted at a Pacquiao loss in the ring.

But do not get it twisted; I actually think that Manny Pacquiao will defeat Antonio Margarito when the two meet next month. However, I do think that Margarito has a fighting chance.

The reasons are limited, but simply cannot be ignored.

Antonio Margarito is the bigger man. He's taller, has a bigger frame, and walks around weighing dozens of pounds more than Pacquiao when he's not in the ring. Size does matter.

The Shane Mosley thrashing aside, Margarito probably has the better chin. That was the only time that he'd been stopped in his career. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has been stopped twice by two unknowns early in his career. He's also been rocked several times in his wars with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Desperation often leads to celebration. One man (Margarito) is more desperate than Steve Carell in one of my favorite flicks of all time. Pacquiao, while still hungry, has a hard time convincing me that he's 100 percent focused on boxing when he's now immersed in Filipino politics. Oftentimes, the fighter with one foot out of the ring ends up taking a nap inside of it.

I would probably not lay a wager on Antonio Margarito when he faces Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13, but I damn sure would take a very close look at the odds as the fight fast approaches.